Cases of Covid-19 are on the increase. States are opening up anyway.

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After several weeks at a plateau, cases of Covid-19 in the United States are on the rise again, the clearest warning sign yet that the country could face another “preventable” surge, said Friday the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The surge comes at a critical time, when Americans are exhausted and desperate for a return to normalcy, but also perhaps better equipped than at any time during the pandemic to turn the tide, thanks to the increase in vaccine supply.

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CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky told a press briefing that the most recent seven-day average of Covid-19 cases was around 57,000 cases per day, a 7% increase compared to the previous week.

“We know from previous surges that if we don’t control things now, there is real potential for the epidemic curve to fly off again,” she said, adding that she remained. ” deeply concerned “about trends.

The immediate challenge for Walensky and other public health officials is to convince Americans tired of pandemic protocols to hold out a little longer with masks and physical distances, as vaccinations are administered at a rate of 2.5 million per day on average. Yet only 14% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

But are Americans, or their elected leaders, listening?

Urgent appeals from public health officials come as a growing number of states have started to relax their mitigation strategies.

“Elected leaders are undermining public health messages left and right,” said Brian Castrucci, president and chief operating officer of the Beaumont Foundation, a not-for-profit public health organization.

Arizona is the latest state to announce the lifting of mask warrants and allows bars and restaurants to fully reopen – joining Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and Texas.

As of Friday afternoon, many businesses in North Carolina, including retail stores, were allowed to fully reopen. Connecticut and Maryland also announced plans to reverse mitigation efforts.

In a statement to NBC News, Walensky acknowledged that his team “is competing with messages from states withdrawing public health measures, such as mask-wearing requirements and easing limits on in-person meals in public places. restaurants and bars’.

“We also communicate with a tired audience,” she said after Friday’s briefing in which she urged people to stay the course.

“We can turn the situation around, but it will take all of us to work together.”

However, it seems that many people reject the idea. Spring break hot spots are crowded. Many bars and restaurants are filled to capacity.

“Obviously, it’s not working,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and former Baltimore health commissioner. “It doesn’t work if we tell them, ‘don’t travel, don’t party’ because they do.”

Wen said the best strategy is to communicate ways to minimize, not necessarily eliminate, risk.

Forcing spring breakers to leave beaches or other outdoor locations may have the unintended effect of leading such gatherings underground to more dangerous situations.

“Now instead of gathering in outdoor bars, they’re going to be in someone’s hotel room with 10 people in a room that isn’t well ventilated,” Wen said.

The mixed message is not surprising for Castrucci. “This whole pandemic is a monument to our inability to communicate effectively,” he said.

Beyond changing messaging policies on Safer Gatherings, it’s worth reminding people that the end may be in sight.

Dr Julie Morita, executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, describes the current pandemic situation in the United States as nearing the end of a marathon.

“It would be so much easier to stop and relax, let our guard down and forget about social distancing and avoid the big crowds,” said Morita, who also served as the former commissioner at health at the Chicago Department of Public Health. “But we can actually do it. The finish line is in sight.”

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Indeed, this is the message Walensky said she tries to convey in weekly appeals with governors, encouraging them “to hold on a little longer.”

“We certainly understand that people are tired,” Jeff Zients, coordinator of the Biden administration’s Covid-19 task force, said at Friday’s briefing. “But we cannot let our guard down.”

Castrucci suggests a different public health communication tactic: rather than focusing on mitigation, keep the spotlight on vaccinations.

And, he said, the messages come from people who are not politicians, such as religious leaders, doctors and ordinary people.

“The more people who get the vaccine, the more they can say to people, ‘Damn, I feel good’ or ‘I haven’t had any side effects’ or’ I haven’t become a zombie. “”, Castrucci told me.

“We need to have a constant pace of this conversation.”

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